Apple Accuses Dash Developer Of Review Manipulation, Removes App From Mac And iOS App Stores

Apple has removed the Dash app from its Mac and iOS App Stores after discovering something shady about its popularity among users. The Cupertino tech giant is now accusing developer Bogdan Popescu of being responsible for the fraudulent reviews of the API documentation resource.

According to MacRumors, Bogdan Popescu initially did not have any idea why Dash was being removed from Apple’s App Stores, claiming that he got a “Notice of Termination” on Wednesday and his iTunes Connect was shut down on the same day. The tech giant was initially hesitant to elaborate why these happened, but later on revealed that Popescu has manipulated the reviews for his app by paying users to write positive ones.

After getting word that he’s been accused of review manipulation, Popescu denied that he paid for positive reviews. “Apple contacted me and told me they found evidence of App Store review manipulation. This is something I’ve never done,” Popescu relayed to MacRumors. Unfortunately, Apple maintained that its decision to remove Dash is “final and can’t be appealed.”

AppleInsider has learned that Phil Schiller, the tech giant’s worldwide marketing head, said that the removal of Dash was due to “repeated fraudulent activity” in an email response to a person named Matthew Els, who may have been surprised by Dash’s removal from the Mac and iOS App Stores.

Since the app has already been removed, users cannot view the reviews that were deemed questionable. Apple also did not single out which reviews were paid for by Popescu. For developers who are still interested in using Dash, however, it is still available for purchase as a direct download.

Though Apple may have informed Popescu that its decision about Dash’s removal from the App Stores is final and can’t be appealed, AppleInsider says the tech giant could still reinstate since the company is known to reverse course on removals after determining that it has committed a mistake. Nevertheless, MacRumors claims that with the executive-level involvement in this situation, it’s quite unlikely for Apple’s flagging system to have made a mistake.